Hiking Las Vegas Blog

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It snowed in Red Rock Canyon last night (1-5-2015). Snow makes for good photos, but it makes scrambling in Red Rock very dangerous. The snow can make a class one section dangerous, because the snow makes things very slippery. Here's an example. Walking to the edge of the 1,200 foot Rainbow Wall is normally pretty easy. It's pretty flat, but if there's snow on the sandstone, one slip and you will fall 1,200 feet to your death. I bet that would hurt :)

Are All Routes Covered in Snow?Currently, no. Here's a general overview. Routes that face toward the east or south are OK. North and west facing routes are covered in snow starting around 5,500 feet. Of course this could change by tonight. East and south facing routes receive much more sun than north and west facing routes. Here's the bad thing: The snow melts during the day and freezes at night creating ice. The next morning routes are covered in ice. Ice is slippery than snow and hard to see.

Which Routes are Doable Now?Kraft Mtn - all routesCalico Tank from the East (both routes)Calico TraverseSE Gully to White Rock Hills PeakEast PeakEven though these routes do not have snow, you have to watch for ice.

Bridge Mtn from Pine Creek seems like it might be doable. Most of it is east facing, but once the route travels to the west, the photo shows the west face is covered in snow.When scrambling in these conditions, you have to make smart decisions about the route you will follow and keep an eye out for ice.

There are alternative hiking areas: Lake Mead, Death Valley and China Date Ranch. I have written about these destinations in previous posts.